The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for continuously encoding magnetic information on magnetically encodable documents processed in bulk form, such as lottery tickets or the like.
As described in a patent application filed concurrently herewith by William Behm, David Hurst, Frank Rice and Martin Cohen for "Adhesive For Magnetically Storing Information, Information Bearing Article Incorporating The Adhesive And Method", and assigned to the same assignee as this application, and a patent application filed concurrently herewith by William Behm entitled "Lottery Ticket Security And Inventory Information Encoding Method", also assigned to the same assignee as this application, whose disclosures are hereby incorporated by reference herein, lottery tickets, promotional game cards, premium cards and other separatable documents may have a paper backing, a means for holding a magnetic code on the document itself, a metallic foil top surface, and various printing. In the case of lottery tickets, such documents may also contain an opaque removable coating in certain areas covering or obscuring some printed characters or symbols. The purchaser of the lottery ticket or user of the card having hidden indicia must remove the coating from the card in order to reveal the characters or symbols to determine whether the ticket holder is entitled to a prize. A check number or security number may be included on the document or ticket, and for security and other reasons, it is desirable to imprint the ticket with a magnetic code to verify the identity of the ticket, and guard against tampering.
Such documents may include a thin, delicate top surface of a reflective foil, as mentioned. One of the problems addressed by the present invention is how to handle such a document to imprint a code magnetically on it.
Another problem solved by the present invention is how to write magnetic information continuously, in bulk, and at high speed, on documents which can later be separated or the like.